


Deal

by RosyMiz



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Guardians (League of Legends), Continuation, Gen, Rakan panics for a few moments, Star Guardian Zoe is a little shit, and Xayah knows it, but it's okay he's hot so obviously he can think of a better plan, continuation from The Twilight Star, right????, she knows it so well she wants to chew glass, the other star guardians have now joined the party
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-13
Updated: 2020-03-05
Packaged: 2020-10-17 12:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20621348
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RosyMiz/pseuds/RosyMiz
Summary: Having already fallen and corrupted, there's really nothing else Xayah could lose. Except one. She strikes a deal with Zoe to salvage what's left dear to her: Rakan.





	1. Swallowing Pride

“A deal?” Zoe exclaims with mock surprise. She twists through the air to swim to Xayah, approaching uncomfortably close. Her mismatched eyes seem to maliciously glimmer as she stares at Xayah upside down. “It better be a fun deal or I won’t be interested!”

Xayah’s eyes narrow in disgust at the child’s taunt. For a moment, she thinks it’s a bad idea. No, she _ knows _ it’s a bad idea. But the image of Rakan—her beloved, beloved Rakan—bubbles up in her mind, forcing her former notion deep down into the darkness. 

She was never one to swallow her pride for anything. Ever. But…

“This is already getting boring. Either you spit it out, or I go on my way,” Zoe says flatly, turning to leave. 

“Wait.” Xayah stops her in her tracks, but Zoe doesn’t turn back around. “It’s about Rakan.”

At the name, Zoe wheels back around and shoots up to Xayah’s face with an expression of interest. Maybe a little too much interest. “Oh, you mean your boyfriend? Yeah, what’s up with him?”

Xayah makes a quiet disgruntled sound before opening her mouth to say what’s on her mind. She averts her gaze to avoid Zoe’s unblinking eyes. “I want you to spare Rakan.” Not hearing Zoe respond, she continues, “If you spare Rakan from falling further, I’ll do whatever you want me to do.” Her hand that was already balled into a fist grips tighter, blood trickling down from her nails digging into her palm.

“And why would I do that, hm?” Zoe finally asks after what seems like an eternity of silence. “Having two guardians instead of one sounds a lot more appealing and useful, don’t you think?” She closes her eyes as she waves her hand in dismissal. “You’re gonna have to give me something better than that, Xayah.”

“Who said anything about letting go of him?” Xayah immediately responds. “Don’t think I’m willing to let go of Rakan either.”

Zoe smiles wider as her eyes snap open towards her in interest again. “I’m listening…”

“You’re not going to corrupt Rakan any more than this.” Xayah takes a deep breath. “Like I said, I’ll do whatever you want. Even if it means corrupting me completely and dragging me into your side. But you must never tell Rakan about this.”

“Aw,” Zoe squeals, “now that’s what I call true love.” She twists onto her back as if she’s laying on a couch. “But you realize if you’re completely corrupted, Rakan will still follow you, right? If anything, he’ll also end up corrupting himself because of it.” She smirks when Xayah falls silent. “Don’t you know what happens once you’ve completely turned? You’re on your own. You don’t care about anything else. All you want is chaos, to destroy everything and anything the First Star created. Rakan? You probably won’t even remember him or care about him anymore.” She starts to hum as she playfully counts the stars in the sky above. 

Despair. Hope. Combined together, that is all she needs to begin the corruption of a star guardian. As long as one has hope, it would turn into despair that would silent creep into their hearts. And the more hope there is, the deeper the fall into despair. Zoe has seen it shatter star guardians countless times.

Xayah was all too easy. All Zoe needed to do was prey on the vague idea of being abandoned by her own teammates to save themselves, leaving Xayah all alone to fall. Rakan, on the other hand, was the last person she expected to fall. But then again, watching his lover die must’ve been what sent him over the edge. That was enough to corrupt him as well.

“Do we have a deal?” Xayah suddenly asks, loud enough to pierce Zoe’s hums.

Zoe’s smile turns into a frown, her tune trailing into silence. She turns back to face Xayah, now upright in the air. “So I stop corrupting your boyfriend, and I have you all to myself. Is that it?” She scoffs when Xayah growls at her in discontent. “Okay, fine, fine. I will stop corrupting Rakan. In exchange, you will do what I want—even if it means corrupting you completely to my side. Also, I won’t tell him of our little conversation.”

“Do we have a deal?” Xayah repeats.

“Ah, ah, ah! Not yet!” Zoe taps a finger against her chin. “If you _ fail _, I will corrupt you both and watch you shatter like all the other star guardians I’ve hunted down.” Her face darkens into black like the abyss, only a golden orb for her right eye and a white void for her mouth remaining. “I didn’t resurrect you for nothing, you know. But you’re just as disposable as any other star guardian I can get my hands on. One snap, and poof! You’re gone!” She begins to giggle as if she heard a wonderful joke.

Her voice is chilling, and it reverberates as if the entire universe is speaking with her voice in its own tones. 

“Do we have a deal or not?” Xayah asks again, a little frustrated this time. She takes another breath. “Please,” she forces out.

Zoe’s face reverts back to normal. She smiles slyly, lifting Xayah’s chin up to force her to look at Zoe. “Weren’t you ever told to maintain eye contact when speaking with others?” she says. “But, since you asked so nicely, it’s a deal.” She sees Xayah’s ear twitching incessantly and giggles. “I think I’ve made you swallow your pride long enough.” She evades a swipe of Xayah’s nails and laughs. “See you!” She dives into a portal and disappears.

Xayah exhales with a hiss, her rage still pulsing through her blood from the ordeal. She tries to hold herself back, but she ends up destroying a nearby pile of rocks in frustration. 

“Baby? Baby!” Rakan calls from afar. When he finds Xayah hunched over by some sliced up rocks, he rushes over to her side, thinking she’s injured. “You okay? You’re not hurt, are you?”

“No. I’m fine.” Xayah huffs. “Maybe just a little too angry.”

“Yeah, you get that way sometimes,” he says, earning a light slap on his chest. He chuckles, walking alongside Xayah on this desolate planet of rock and… whatever it is Zoe told them to come here for. “So, where to next?”

“No idea. I’m sure Zoe will tell us soon.” Xayah bites the inside of her cheek as she gazes at the starry sky. Her deal with Zoe weighs heavily on her mind, but it almost lifts a burden on her heart. Watching Rakan fall all because of her, it never left her. Even in her dreams, she sees the scenario over and over again. Unable to tell him to leave her so he could live. To save himself. 

She’s willing to go through whatever Zoe tells her to.

Just as long as Rakan will be saved, maybe even freed.

Watching him fall for her sake was hell enough. Nothing can compare to that.


	2. Love and War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rakan approaches Zoe with a deal of his own. But he needs to improvise when Zoe shuts him down before he can say anything.

“Zoe.”

Zoe doesn’t turn, too preoccupied with juggling little stars in the palms of her hand before extinguishing their light with her powers. “I’m a little busy here, Rakan.” She hears him grunt in doubt followed by a whisper that sounds like, “Sure you are.” 

“Gee, I wonder what would get ya interested in what I have to say?” Rakan asks himself mockingly. He snaps and tosses his gem up in the air like a coin. “Perhaps… a deal?” He sees Zoe’s arms freeze and smirks. Bullseye.

Zoe is frozen for another moment before groaning. “Ugh, that’s so boring! Not interested!’

Rakan’s smirk fades into a frown immediately. He was sure Zoe would fall for it. He scoffs, mocking offense at her response by posing in dramatic despair “Not interested? I’m hurt, Zoe. You won’t even give me the time of day!”

“I’ve had enough of deals. They’re all the same. Why make useless deals when I won’t have any fun?” she says. Unknown to Rakan, Zoe smiles darkly. It was a lie. Xayah was the very first star guardian she corrupted who tried to bargain with her. Once was fun enough. But a second time?  _ Boooooring! _

_ Damn. _

If she wasn’t interested in a  _ deal _ of all things, what other options were left? 

Rakan chews on his thumbnail as his mind grabs at straws to salvage the situation. After all, Zoe had a tendency to disappear into a portal the moment she didn’t want to be there. He had to keep her here. 

She relishes in the panic she sensed from him. He is like reading an open book. “If there’s nothing else you have to say, then leave. Can’t you see I’m busy?” she says, her expression smug though keeping her eyes in Rakan’s direction.

“Uh, no, no, no. I ain’t done yet,” Rakan immediately responds. “How about,” he pauses for dramatic effect, “a little game?”

Ah, Rakan always was full of surprises. 

“Ooh, a game?” Zoe finally turns, lazily laying in the air but with a twinkle in her eye. “What kind of game we talking about here? Is it fun?”

Rakan is slightly taken aback by her sudden interest, but it doesn’t let that deter him. He stands his ground with a cocked brow. He smiles and rubs his chin thoughtfully. “The funnest game ever.”

“Ooh! Do tell, Rakan.” Zoe bats her eyes with an eerie smile. “I’m all ears!”

“Right,” Rakan drones. He clears his throat and begins to pace back and forth as if he’s explaining the best theory in all the universe. “So, the game involves you, me, and Xayah.” He glances at Zoe, who nods fervently at him to continue. “I’m sure you know the saying: ‘the universe is the apple of your heart.’”

“There are literally several things wrong with that phrase, but I guess that works too,” Zoe interrupts.

“Uh… right. Well, you get the gist.”

“Yeah, yeah! The world is my oyster, it’s the apple of my eye, blah blah blah,” she drawls. “Anyways, the game?”

“Yes! Let’s take Xayah. She’s the perfect—absolutely perfect, I love her a lot by the way—person to completely turn to your side. Strong. Determined. And drop dead gorgeous.”

“Uh-huh.”

“But here’s the thing: I don’t want that. I know what happens when you’re completely corrupted.” Rakan’s lips purse into a straight line. “I’d rather play right into your hands than see that happen.” He holds up his gem, a dull shine and a haze of darkness emanating from its center. “No matter how much you try to corrupt her, I won’t let her go over to the side of darkness.”

Oho. That took a turn Zoe didn’t expect. Rakan really was full of surprises.

“Hmm, okay. So, in other words, it’s like tug of war.”

He snaps at the word, the same goofy smile returning to his face. “Tug o’ War, you got it! You got the entire universe in the center of your heart—(“palm of my hand, Rakan”)—yeah, yeah, I got it. This should be a breeze to ya.” Zoe nods as if he has a point. “What do you think? Wanna play this little game?”

“I can! But what’s in it for me? What’s my reward if I win?”

“Uh, easy. You corrupt both of us and do what you want with us. You can shatter us, use us to destroy more star guardians, or make us your personal servants if you’re into that.”

“Very nice. I like the way you think.”

“But if I win,” Rakan says, “Xayah is free.”

“That’s it?” 

“That’s it.”

Zoe leans back in thought, but it doesn’t take her long to perk back up with a mysterious and strange smile. “Sure, Rakan. We can play this little game of yours. It sounds super fun!” Her lips then pull back into an ominous grin. “I can’t wait to see what kind of moves you’ll pull to win,” she coos as she taps his nose with her finger.

“Pinky promise?” Rakan suddenly asks, holding up his pinky finger.

“What?” Zoe looks at his hand in mild bewilderment. 

“You gotta promise me you’ll play with me.”

Zoe rolls her eyes. “I’m not a kid. I’m older than you.” Though she says, she wraps her own pinky finger around Rakan’s. “But sure!” Once they make the promise, she stretches her back as if she was sitting for forever. “Anyways, this was fun. But we’re going back to work.”

Rakan narrows his eyes in suspicion. “What’s next?”

There’s a glint in her right eye as she giggles. She looks beyond the stars, and Rakan knows she can see the exact location. “I finally found the little lizard I’ve been searching for all these months.”

Neeko.

Rakan’s breath almost catches in his throat, but he suppresses the reaction so Zoe doesn’t notice. He cracks a dark smile and follows Zoe’s gaze. “So, it’s finally time.”

“Get Xayah. We got a lizard to catch.” Zoe disappears into a portal, presumably to go ahead and set some traps. 

As soon as Zoe leaves, Rakan huffs, stretching his back and cracking his neck. “Alright, here we go, Rakan. Gotta pump yourself up!” He whips around to go get Xayah but yelps when he sees her standing before him. “ _ XA- _ yah! Babe, don’t scare me like that.”

“Anything from Zoe?” Xayah asks. She seems jittery, impatient. She must sense it: Neeko’s presence.

Rakan hesitates for a moment. “Uh, yeah! She finally found that slinking lizard.” 

Xayah’s face darkens, her hand balling into fists. “She hid while she watched us die, and she didn’t even do anything to save us.” Xayah grits her teeth and unsheathes her feather quills from her hand. She starts to shake from pure rage. “Well? What are we waiting for?”

“Babe, calm down. Zoe will send us the portal soon.”

“Calm down?! After what Neeko did to us? Ahri? Sarah?” Xayah shouts. “They abandoned us! They left us to  _ die _ . They...” It hurts Rakan to see Xayah being consumed by the lies that took root within her. But he senses her hesitation when she trails off. Even she has her doubts too, doesn’t she?

“Hey Xayah.” She doesn’t respond. “Xayah?”

Xayah shuts her eyes as she’s brought back to reality. “What? Did you say something?”

Before Rakan can answer, Zoe’s portal opens up before them as if it is waiting for them. Time to go. He smiles sadly at Xayah, though she doesn't notice, and pats her head. “Never mind. We should go. Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Xayah runs ahead, Rakan following closely behind.

Rakan stares at Xayah’s back and holds onto his star tightly. Zoe’s taunts echoes in his mind. He knows she has doubts of his victory, but there are plenty of tricks up his sleeve she doesn’t know about. That she doesn’t know he’s been doing since day one. If it means Xayah will be alive—and best case scenario, purified—he’s more than willing to sacrifice himself for her sake.

If anyone is going to die first, it’s him.

He can’t watch Xayah die.

Never again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAD to write something for Rakan too. I had to.


	3. Into the Rabbit Hole

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part of this story continues from the official short story, The Twilight Star! You can read it [here!](https://universe.leagueoflegends.com/en_us/story/the-twilight-star) This is definitely not an official story, merely my interpretation of how the story can continue from here!

When Ahri shows up, a storm of emotions brews in Xayah all at once. Anger. Frustration. Sadness. Betrayal. Guilt. Betrayal. Betrayal. Betrayal. Betrayal. Betrayal. Betrayal. Her hair stands up on its end, her ears point back, and her lips pull back in a scowl. The weight on her left shoulder suddenly disappears when she charges at the source of her misery.

Like a tidal wave turned tsunami, the pain in her chest washes over her. Magenta quills manifest between her fingers as she closes the distance between as she unleashes a cry of fury, “AHRI!”

“Xayah!” Rakan calls after her, but the sudden prick of his wounds stops him from shielding her in time. He stumbles on the debris, and the last thing he sees is Neeko rushing to Ahri’s side to evade the attack.

Neeko tackles Ahri aside as a quill pierces the air Ahri’s gem would have been. They tumble down the debris, Ahri jumping back onto her feet and sliding across the floor with Neeko in her arms. “Are you okay?” she asks. 

“Ahri’s here. Ahri is real,” Neeko says as she squeezes Ahri, digging her face and fingers into her hair. She holds back a sob when Ahri hugs her back with a strength she can’t even comprehend—the pain, the loneliness, the responsibility, the guilt she must have felt all these years. 

All these feelings in just one guardian. 

How difficult it must have been.

And all in one short moment.

“Move!” Ahri shouts as she pulls Neeko away a flurry of quills shot towards them. They run towards the center of the room, where the caged statue stands. “We can catch up on everything later, Neeko. But we need to get you out of here.”

“But what about you, Ahri?” Neeko asks. When Ahri doesn’t respond, she grasps Ahri’s hand and shakes her head intensely. “No. Neeko won’t allow it. You’re not allowed to fight on your own here!”

“You’ve been fighting alone for years, Neeko. I can’t let—”

“That’s exactly why I can’t let Ahri fight alone!” Neeko exclaims with a stomp of her foot. “I’ve been fighting alone ever since I hid! Ever since I ran away! It was hard!” She gives Ahri’s hand an extra squeeze. “Please fight together. With Neeko.”

Ahri hesitates, but she squeezes Neeko’s hand back. “Okay, Neeko. We fight together. We need to get Xayah and Rakan back.”

“Aw, isn’t that just sweet,” Zoe muses as she floats over to the praying statue and sits on the crook of its folded arm. “The heroine returns to save her friends from the abyss of the darkness!” she cries dramatically with her hand against her forehead. Her eyes snap open with a glint. “Oh, Ahri. Hatred isn’t a great look for you.”

A scorching fire blazes in Ahri’s eyes as she gazes upon the ancient guardian. She killed Xayah. She killed Rakan. She almost killed Neeko. The only thing stopping her from taking that leap and tearing out the guardian’s throat is Neeko tugging at her wrist with her other hand.

“Don’t. Neeko knows what she can do. She can kill you if you’re not careful.”

Neeko’s right. After all, she was able to take down Xayah and Rakan, the strongest pair she had ever fought alongside in her life as a Star Guardian. And worse, somehow, she managed to bring them back to life… as her enemies. “What did you do to them?” Ahri hisses.

“What, you mean them?” Zoe extends her hand out to where Xayah and Rakan were standing, revealing both of them collapsed on the floor. 

Specks and wisps of darkness rise from Xayah’s skin and her gem. Xayah writhes in pain on the broken stone, trapped in Zoe’s little bubble. Rakan crawls up the debris, calling Xayah’s name desperately. Ahri and Neeko break stance as if they plan to rush over, but they’re stopped by a star shot by their feet.

“Your focus should be me, little stars,” Zoe levitates down from the statue, her arms open and inviting. “Go on. Attack me. I’m sure you’ve been _ dying _ to.”

Ahri remains calm, but the fire in her eyes flare stronger. She extends her hand out and materializes an orb of starlight in her palm. Neeko follows suit and gets down on all fours. “Any last words, Zoe?”

“Oh…. hm, I didn’t realize I was going to be given such liberty…” Zoe hums in mock thought, tapping her lip. She smirks and sways back when an orb shoots past her head. “Aw, not even gonna give me any time to think?” She then dodges a star that’s thrown at her direction and swirls around the statue to the top. “So you play dirty, is it?” Her expression darkens, her lips curling into a sadistic smile. “Then, let’s play.”

* * *

“Xayah?” Rakan calls. He huffs and sits up by Xayah’s collapsed body, intertwining his fingers with hers. “Xayah, please, you have to get up. I, I can’t watch you die again.” He grimaces when she doesn’t respond, not even a twitch of her ears. “Xayah…”

_ Xayah… _

_ Xayah… _

Rakan’s voice echoes in the dark. They sound like the chimes she used to hang up in their home, back when she lived with Ahri, Sarah, and Neeko. Xayah’s ear twitches and then leans back. 

They left you to die. They didn’t want to die, so they sacrificed you to escape Zoe.

It wasn’t your fault. You couldn’t have known they would run away without you. 

They could have taken you with them when they ran. But they didn’t. Didn’t Ahri always used to say that teammates should stick together? What happened to that? She’s a coward. She couldn’t stick to her own words in the end. 

And Sarah? That hot-headed Sarah Fortune? Where was her fiery personality to come swoop you into her protection before you died? She always went in headfirst into every battle, so why not that time? She could have saved you.

Neeko? She ran away. That’s all there is to it. Instead of staying with you to fight, she escaped without you. And she had the audacity to hide and send you on a wild lizard chase? She wasn’t willing to fight for you. 

** _Traitors._ **

_ Xayah. _

A flash of turquoise whisks past her vision. She knows this person. He was someone special to her. But… who was it? He was like her, but flamboyant, energetic, and happy. Who was he? What was his name? She couldn’t remember anymore. If she couldn’t remember who he was… then was he really that important to her?

_ Xayah _.

What is that ringing? Whose voice is that? Xayah, Xayah, Xayah.

...

Who’s Xayah?

A finger twitches, then another, and another. Xayah’s hand suddenly starts squeezing Rakan’s with great force. Her arms slowly find their way into her, pushing her body up until she sits up.

“Xayah!” Rakan calls in relief but stops himself when she turns her head to him. His eyes widen in horror when half her face is covered with darkness, her other eye just barely visible from what’s left of her skin. She doesn’t seem to recognize him, only gazing at him with a blank expression. “Hey, it’s me, Xayah.”

She tilts her head silently as if observing the actions of a rare specimen. Her ear twitches in response. 

“Xayah, that looks terrible on you. Let’s get you fixed up, okay?” He slowly wraps his arms around her to purify her darkness but is stopped by a searing pain in his shoulder. He freezes and looks down at Xayah, who had pierced him with a quill as black as the night. Blood seeps out of the wound when she tears it back out. “X… Xayah…!” he chokes in pain. “Don’t do this. You can’t go further into the darkness. Let me help you.”

She says nothing. She stands up and gazes into his eyes for another moment before she turns her head to the center of the room. 

“Xayah. It’s me, Rakan. You still recognize me, right? Please say something,” he pleads as he hops back onto his feet. When she doesn’t turn to him, he feels like his heart’s going to stop. “Xayah!” he calls, grabbing her shoulder and forcing her to turn to him, “Snap out of—!”

Without a word, she sends him flying across the room with a kick. She watches his back meet the walls with a crack. He collapses onto the floor, unconscious. The darkness crawls up and across her face faster like a disease, claiming every part of her like its own. She turns back to the center of the room and runs towards the first target she sees: Ahri.

* * *

“Here? Who? Who’s coming?” Poppy asks Lulu.

“Her.” Lulu points at the giant creature in the sky. “She’ll be here soon.”

“You mean the owner?” Lux asks. There has to be an owner of that creature, right?

“Yes. She’s dangerous.” As if possessed, Lulu turns to Lux with cautious eyes. “She’s coming for _ us _.”

The air around them suddenly turns cold and heavy as soon as she utters those words. A chill runs down Lux’s spine when she realizes what Lulu means, but Sarah winces and freezes on the spot. Sarah’s knuckles turn white as her grip around her guns get tighter to the point she starts shaking. Lux notices first, but she dares not look up to see what expression Sarah’s wearing. 

“You need to go,” Sarah insists, her voice going up a pitch towards the end. “Now. Or else, you’ll all die.” She pulls Lux roughly by the arm and glances up at the portal above them. The portal seems to be growing bigger and bigger by the second, and Janna can’t seem to hold it back much longer. The sound of a child’s laughter keeps echoing around them as more and more bubbles pop into a mist of darkness.

“No.” Lux resists Sarah’s pull, receiving an incredulous look from the latter, and gazes upon the ever growing portal. “If whoever is looking for me is at the other side of this portal, we need to fight back. Together. We can’t let her, whoever this owner is, destroy this city!”

“You don’t get it, Lux!” Sarah shouts. “Zoe _ killed _ my teammates in an instant! Even though we were a team of five, we couldn’t even stop her. We lost three of them.” She sucks in a sharp breath. “We can’t lose you girls too. I don’t… I don’t know how many more I can handle losing.”

Lux falls silent, her arm lowered as if she can no longer resist Sarah’s tug. She feels the sheer rage and frustration from Sarah’s voice, but it can’t hide the underlying sadness and fear. And for the first time, to Lux, Sarah’s laying herself bare and vulnerable in the face of this danger. 

“I can buy some time while you girls make your escape,” Sarah says as she raises a gun. “I’ve fought against her before, and I can do it aga—” 

“Sarah,” Lux gently calls, placing her hand over Sarah’s that refuses to release her wrist. “You don’t have to fight alone. We can fight together. I’m not going to let anyone fall.”

Sarah has no reason to believe her. Not when she has seen countless other star guardians fall into the palm of Zoe’s hands. 

Yet Lux’s eyes shine with the determination and conviction of a thousand stars.

“Promise me this: You will take your team and escape when things get bad, when I tell you to. I know what Zoe can do. She can easily corrupt and kill you if she catches you.”

“Only if you promise not to handle everything on your own. If we need to run, we distract her and escape together.”

Lux is headstrong, but it reminds Sarah of her old teammates. She can’t help but smile as she holds out a pinky out to Lux, who curls her own around it. They bump hands as if to seal the deal.

“Promise.”

So, she believes her.

Sarah readies her guns at her side. “Okay,” she answers as she pops a bubble before it reaches Jinx. “I’ll shoot Soraka and Ez a text. They’ll have to check their phones eventually.”

“What about Syndra? We’ll need all the support we can!”

Sarah pauses, her thumb curling over the keyboard of her phone in hesitation before going back to the menu and adding Syndra to the group text. “Yeah… I hope.”

Lux doesn’t understand the uncertainty in Sarah’s voice, but there’s no time for her to dwell on it. “Star guardians, gather together! We need to keep this contained before it reaches any civilians!” she calls out, gaining the attention of the others. “Janna, on my signal, surround us with wind to prevent them from getting any closer!” She extends a hand out for Jinx to grab as she runs over. 

“So what’s the plan, Lux? This weird demonic jellyfish thing is after us, Loops said?” Jinx asks. “Come on, shortstack! We can’t have you falling behind!” she exclaims as she pulls Poppy into their circle. 

“It seems so. But for what reason would she come after us?” Once everyone is together, she nods to Janna.

“To destroy us and our light,” Janna answers as she twirls her wand in the sky, a wall of whirlwind surrounding them and preventing the bubbles from growing closer.

“Do you know who this chick is, Janna?” Jinx asks.

“A star guardian, just like any of us. Her light is very old… but dark.” Janna’s usual calm expression turns into a scowl when she gazes up at the portal. 

Lux knows that face. She’s seen it before. She gasps when realization hits her. “Back at—”

“Yes, Lux. Back at Camp Targon,” Janna finishes. “I said I didn’t know if she was still alive. I really didn’t know at the time.” She keeps her wand held up high as it twirls with the whirlwind. Her eyes glance at Sarah, who shoots her a look of guilt and remorse. But she doesn’t blame Sarah. No one could have known this would happen. “If we fight her, we must stay together. She’s a powerful being, and she’s tried to turn away from the First Star’s light all these years.”

The question that’s been sitting at the edge of her tongue feels like it’s burning her from inside. Are they strong enough? But she can’t ask, or she will dishearten her team. She must be strong. She must not waver. “Alright, Janna won’t be able to hold these things back much longer. When the winds subside, we fight.”

“Wait,” Sarah suddenly calls. Her eyes seem to be scanning the bubbles outside the whirlwind, but they squint. “Nothing’s happening.”

“Huh?” Lux and the others follow Sarah’s line of sight. She’s right. The bubbles don’t seem to be approaching the whirlwind, but they pile on top of each other like walls. When Lux squints, she sees a straight line that leads to the portal. “She, she wants us to take the portal?”

“What kind of sick game is she playing this time?” Sarah sneers.

“Janna, can you lighten the winds a little bit?” Lux asks, to which Janna obliges and decreases the speed of the whirlwind. Just as she thought, the bubbles still won’t approach. They simply stand there surrounding them, trying to lure them to the portal.

“What do we do, Lux?” Poppy asks. “Should we go in?”

“Do we even got a choice?” Jinx chimes in, looking perhaps a little too excited to blow something up. “I’m pretty ready to fight, if ya ask me.”

Lux and Sarah exchange concerned looks, but Sarah nods solemnly. “Something tells me Ahri might be on the other side, still fighting,” she says. 

“Got it. Alright girls, on three, we’re running towards that portal. Expect to fight as soon as we get to the other side.” She takes a deep breath. “One... “ Everyone crouches forward, ready to run at the signal. “Two…” Janna lowers her wand, the winds now completely subsiding. “Three!” They make a break for it.

The wall of bubbles suddenly spill over from behind them, as if urging them to run faster while laughter erupts from each pop. Each bout of laughter begins to sound more and more ominous and eerie as they get closer to the portal. As soon as they run inside, the laughter dies in an instant. Now, a chilling silence fills the air around them.

“Dude, this portal’s super long. I feel like we’ve been running for, like, ever,” Jinx whines. 

“Her portals can be very random, but time and space is completely distorted in here. Zoe’s planning something.” As soon as those words roll off her tongue, the portal suddenly begins to squirm. It stops everyone in their tracks and throws them off balance. The floor begins to distort and rise up, creating walls between the girls. “She’s splitting us up! Grab someone!”

“What the—!” Poppy trips over a bump on the floor but is caught by Janna. The two disappear behind the several other columns that follow. 

A yelp comes from behind, and Lulu is caught on top of a rising column. 

“Loops! Jump! We’ll catch you!” Jinx exclaims. Lulu jumps, and Jinx catches her in her arms. But next thing they know, they’ve been separated from everyone else too. “Shit,” she swears. Lulu hops off Jinx’s arms and starts feeling parts of the wall. They raise their heads in alert when they hear Lux scream from the other side. “Lux! Lux, can you hear me?”

“Jinx? I can hear you but barely!” Lux responds with a muffled voice. “I got separated from Sarah! I’m on my own!”

Jinx feels panic surging in her veins. “Hold on, step away from the wall! I’ll see if I can get you!” She pulls Lulu away from the wall before Kuro and Shiro combine into a rocket. She shoots, an explosion of smoke, stars, and glitter resulting from the impact. When the smoke dissipates, there’s a hole in the wall with Lux just on the other side. But the hole begins to close up. “Here! C’mon!” Jinx runs over with her hand extended out.

Lux sprints as fast as her legs can take her, but the distance between her and Jinx’s hand doesn’t seem to close. It’s as if she’s running in place. She reaches out, hoping for even a small chance to grab her hand. The hole’s closing up faster. She won’t make it. “Jinx!”

“As. If. I’ll let you close up!” Jinx growls, struggling to keep the hole from closing but to no avail. The last thing she sees is Lux desperately calling for her, before Lulu drags her back from getting her arm severed by the wall. “Lux! No, no, no, no, no! Dammit!” Jinx roars when the hole completely closes up. She doesn’t have enough starpower to make another rocket for a while. Her fist slams the floor with another swear. 

“Jinx,” Lulu calls with worry. “I’m sure Lux will be safe. She knows how to take care of herself.”

Jinx hesitates. “That’s not what I’m worried about.” She sighs and pats Lulu’s head. “But I got you, Loops. I’m sure we’ll be fine.” She then looks over her shoulder and grimaces.

Jinx and Lulu stand in a room, its lilac walls decorated similar to that of a child’s room. Lines and lines of glittering stars hang from the ceiling. There is no bed, desk, closet, or any other furniture, except for five columns lined up in a circle at the center of the room.. 

“Might be just me, but this room gives me the chills.” Her shoulders flinch when she hears the clatter of Lulu’s wand on the floor. The sound echoes off the walls. Lulu gazes up at the ceiling in horror, her chest heaving with heavy gasps. “Loops? What’s wrong?”

Lulu shakily points at the stars hanging from the threads. “Fallen. They’re all fallen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I think this story will now become a short novel. Ha. Ha. Why do I do this to myself, why DOES MOTIVATION AND INSPIRATION STRIKE ME WHEN I LEAST EXPECT IT—

**Author's Note:**

> This was just a little theory I had about Xayah and Rakan with Zoe, from what I saw on the cinematic and their skin lore. Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
